Press Release for Inaugurating the Centennial Year

[Guest guest]

Potomac, Washington DC, USA

18 December, 1995

 

 

Temple Presidents and Centennial Coordinators

Re. Centennial inaugural news release

 

 

Dear Temple Presidents/Centennial Coordinator,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

 

Here is the first official Centennial news release. This has been

compiled to be released during January 1996 as a public announcement

inaugurating the Srila Prabhupada Centennial Year.

 

You are welcome to add a short paragraph at the end or in the beginning,

at your choice, with your local news.] The additional text should be

less than thirty-five words. The whole release should be double-spaced,

and ideally less than two pages long.

 

The news release should be accompanied, if possible, by a good quality

photograph of either Srila Prabhupada or significant activities at your

local center.

 

ISKCON Communications is preparing standard news releases for all

the future 1996 Events. These will be reaching you in due time.

 

For any inquiry, please contact your National ISKCON Communications

Office or ISKCON Communications Global, 10310 Oaklyn Drive, Potomac,

MD 20854, USA -

Ph: 1.301.2994797 - Fax: 1.301.2995025 - E-mail: ICG (AT) com (DOT) bbt.se.

 

I beg to remain

 

your servant,

Mukunda Goswami.

 

FROM: ISKCON Communications

DATE: December 14, 1995

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

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HARE KRISHNA DEVOTEES TO CELEBRATE FOUNDER'S CENTENNIAL

 

 

Followers of ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna

Consciousness, more popularly known the Hare Krishna Movement, will

 

celebrate 1996 as the 100th anniversary year of their founder's birth.

Thirty years ago, at age 69, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 

left India on a steamship with a few dollars and a trunkful of

scriptures. He landed in New York in September, 1965.

Here he began to chant Hare Krishna in public places.

Gradually a following developed, and by 1973 he had opened temples in

over a hundred cities worldwide.

Today the movement spans six continents, claims over a million

 

adherents worldwide and lists 400 temples in its bimonthly magazine,

"Back to Godhead." Krishna volunteers also say they operate the largest

 

vegetarian food relief program in the world,"Hare Krishna Food for

Life." The project, they say, feeds a meal to one undernourished or

 

hungry person every two seconds.

Members of The International Society for Krishna Consciousness,

 

practice bhakti-yoga (devotional service to God) and mantra meditation.

 

They have distributed over 100 million books compiled by Srila

Prabhupada, containing the spiritual texts of ancient India such as

 

Bhagavad-gita. A central slogan of the "Prabhupada Centennial" is

"spiritual solutions to material problems."

The most impressive events will take place in November 1996 when

 

four major temples will open in India, followed by "Feed the World Day"

on 23 November 1996, sponsored by the Food for Life program.

On September 6, 1996, ISKCON centers around the world will bathe

a

deity of Srila Prabhupada with waters Krishna devotees gathered from

 

1008 holy places throughout India.

Local celebrations in hundreds of cities will occur throughout

the

year, including the centennial inaugural functions, "Hare Krishna

World Convention,World Holy Name Day," commemoration of ISKCON's

 

original incorporation in New York in July 1966, and the India temple

openings.

[short paragraph here for local news.]